CIPCA Adapter Installation and User's Guide

This document is the CIPCA Adapter Installation and User's Guide, intended for network technical personnel, system managers, and operators.

Purpose: It explains how to install, configure, and use the CIPCA adapter, which enables PCI-to-CI (Computer Interconnect) connectivity for various AlphaServer systems (8200/8400, 4000/4100, 2100, 2100A, and 2000) running the OpenVMS operating system. This connectivity provides high-availability computing and access to shared storage.

Key Content Areas:

1. Introduction: Describes the CIPCA adapter, its variants (CIPCA-AA, CIPCA-BA), physical components (Port Module, Link Module, Ribbon Cables, CI Transition Cable), technical specifications, functional overview, and system requirements (hardware, OS, firmware, controllers).
2. Installation: Provides a step-by-step procedure for installing the adapter, including power shutdown, setting DIP switches for node ID and cluster size, attaching extender brackets, installing the modules into specific PCI and EISA slots, and connecting internal and external cables.
3. Usage: Details how to verify the adapter's installation and operation using console commands (show config, show device) for different AlphaServer models. It also covers various methods for booting disks connected via CIPCA, including simple, default, multiple-controller, and automatic boot procedures.
4. Firmware Updates: Explains how to update CIPCA and console firmware using the Loadable Firmware Update (LFU) utility, providing minimum required firmware versions and update procedures for various AlphaServer systems.
5. Troubleshooting: Offers basic troubleshooting steps, primarily focusing on interpreting LED codes (for initialization and errors) on the CIPCA port module, and mentions advanced troubleshooting using DECevent utility examples.
6. Appendices: Include detailed specifications (environmental, electrical), descriptions of PCI Configuration and PCI ASIC Hard Registers, and further DECevent examples.